


2. “Have you lost your damn mind!?”

by miraculeuxnoir (redhoodedwolf)



Series: Drabble Challenge [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien-centered, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, angstyish sorry, mainly about his relationship with his father, most of it is a flashback
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-14
Updated: 2016-05-14
Packaged: 2018-06-08 08:15:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6846637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redhoodedwolf/pseuds/miraculeuxnoir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His father was trembling with rage, though he was concealing it well, Adrien could see, from the blank look on his face. Though his eyes spoke of fire, his hands were slack at his sides. <br/>His father spoke softly, slowly, as if talking to a child. “Have you… lost… your damn… mind!?”<br/>Adrien had sucked in a shuddering breath.</p>
            </blockquote>





	2. “Have you lost your damn mind!?”

**Author's Note:**

> part of the drabble challenge i issued against myself so it was of course originally posted to tumblr

Adrien sits on the edge of some building in Paris, even he doesn’t know where. He’d just transformed as soon as he could and sprinted off, and when he got tired he decided to sit. So here he is. Sitting.

His body is slumped over, legs kicking back and forth absentmindedly. He feels defeated. 

His father’s words ring in his ears. Their entire conversation is being played over and over in his head in a repetitive loop that feels like a needle being pulled through his brain in one side and out the other, only to come back through for a second, then third, then fourth, and so on, stitch. 

_Adrien had gotten home from school late, which had caused him to be late for his piano lesson. His instructor is very strict, so when Adrien didn’t show up precisely at 4, he left in a huff. When Adrien arrived soon after, out of breath, schoolbag hanging limply from one hand, the practice room was empty._

_When Adrien turned around, ready to start on homework before his Chinese tutoring session, he’d expected Nathalie to be waiting for him. He did not expect his father._

_“You’re home late,” his father admonished, eyes staring blankly at his son.  
_

_Adrien had ducked his head and sighed, nodding in defeat. “Yes, Papa.”_

_“Why?”  
_

_The words hit him like a slap to the face. “I was in the library with a few fr– classmates, working on a project. I lost track of time.”_

_“Nathalie tried to call you,” his father replied with a huff. Adrien had noticed the slender woman standing down the hall, body tilted away, but head cocked so that she could overhear the whole conversation.  
_

_“My phone was in the bottom of my bag,” Adrien admitted to both of them apologetically.  
_

_His father sighed heavily, looking at his son like he was a disappointment. Unfortunately, Adrien was not a rookie to that intense glare. “You are old enough, Adrien, to be responsible for your own schedule. It should not be hard for you to glance up at a clock every so often.”_

_Adrien flinched hearing those words. “I’m sorry, Papa. But I have many activities. Sometimes it is difficult to stay on top of all of them.”_

_His father’s eyes had narrowed in suspicion. “Well,” he said after a moment, “As I said, you are old enough to make some decisions. What do you propose we do instead, to keep you on_ top _.”_

_Adrien had to force himself not to flinch again. He’d clenched his hands into fists and said, “Maybe I shouldn’t do modeling anymore.”_

_There was silence for a long moment, Adrien’s eyes on the floor, afraid of his father’s reaction._

_A loud crack echoed through the room, causing Adrien to jump and throw his head up in surprise. His father had slammed the door shut, closing them both into the room where Nathalie and any other prying eyes and ears could not intrude due to the soundproofing._

_His father was trembling with rage, though he was concealing it well, Adrien could see, from the blank look on his face. Though his eyes spoke of fire, his hands were slack at his sides._

_His father spoke softly, slowly, as if talking to a child. “_ **_Have you…_ lost _… your_ damn _… mind!?_** _”_

_Adrien had sucked in a shuddering breath._

_His father gave him no room to defend his words or his decision. “Obviously I have put too much faith in your ability to think like a rational adult. Your studies out of school are just as important as in school. School needs to be balanced with your job. If you cannot handle this, the answer is not just to_ quit _.”_

_“I wouldn’t be_ quitting _,” Adrien had cut in, trying to say anything to quell his father’s anger. “I don’t want to stop forever, or at all! Just maybe a few less shoots–”  
_

_“You have a fully booked schedule for the next year and a half, Adrien,” his father had spat. “And you cannot, and I will not let you cancel any of them.”  
_

_“Papa–-!”  
_

_“From now on, if you are late leaving school, unless you have scheduled a meeting with your classmates ahead of time, at least a week in advance, with Nathalie, she will come in and get you. If you cannot be trusted to act like an adult, then you will be treated like the child you are.”  
_

_Adrien did not help his father’s argument by wobbling his bottom lip and declaring, “But that’s not fair!”_

_“Rule one of being an adult, Adrien, life isn’t fair.” His father turned around, threw open the door, and stormed out._

_Nathalie had approached him seconds later, ushering him out of the practice room and up to his own bedroom, telling him to get started on his homework, his tutor would be there in less than an hour._

Now, several hours later, the night sky twinkles above him as Adrien stares up at it. His bright green eyes latch on to every movement in the night. 

He is not surprised when Ladybug sits on his right a few minutes later.

“Hey, Chat,” she says, voice soft. 

Adrien immediately feels stress leak out of his skin hearing her voice. She has a great calming effect on him. He thinks it has something to do with the balancing of their miraculouses, but he’s never tried to test it.

“Hey,” he says back, a moment too late.

“Bad day?” his companion asks, knee knocking against his. 

Adrien snorts humorlessly. “Ha, you could say that.”

Ladybug nods. Adrien watches her from the corner of his eye. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and sighs lightly. She looks beautiful.

“But I’m feeling much better now,” he admits. 

Ladybug meets his eyes and gives him a dazzling smile. “Good. You up for a little patrolling then?”

Adrien pushes himself to his feet and arches his back, cracking his joints in the nice long stretch. He lets out a satisfied purr, and Ladybug chuckles at him. “Yep,” he says on a sigh as he lets his arms dangle at his sides, a lazy smile on his face. “I’m always in my right mind with you, my lady.”

Ladybug seems confused by his choice in complimentary words, but nods after a second anyway, confusion giving way to determination as she looks out across the Paris skyline. 

Adrien extends a hand out towards a nearby rooftop as he reaches behind himself to unlatch his staff from his suit. “Ladies first,” he warbles.

Ladybug mock-bows at him and mumbles, “Thanks,” before tossing her yo-yo across the alley and flying over to the next rooftop.

Adrien doesn’t wait a second, and Chat Noir joins his partner without hesitation. 

**Author's Note:**

> My ML blog is miraculeuxnoir, if you're into sterek hmu at redhoodedwolf, and for all else I'm localwolfgoesawoo. I'm everywhere.


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